CREATIVE
Designing for Social Health
Project Type:
Book Chapter
Chapter Aim
Book Chapter in: Social and Behavioral Factors in Environmental Design edited by Xuemei Zhu, Zhipeng Liu and Mardelle Shepley, to be published by Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group in 2026.
How does the layout of a waiting room affect whether strangers strike up conversations? Why do some community spaces buzz with activity while others sit empty? These are the questions at the heart of our chapter on Design for Social Health, co-authored with Dr. Mardelle Shepley. The work situates social health as a critical but often overlooked dimension of the broader "environmental design for health" framework that underpins this environmental psychology textbook. We explore the often overlooked power of physical spaces to either connect us or isolate us from one another, emphasizing the role of everyday environments in supporting our innate need for meaningful human connection. The chapter offers both the science behind social spaces and practical design strategies that foster the kinds of interactions that make us healthier and happier.
The chapter evaluates design choices at the city, neighborhood, and building level. At the neighborhood level, we compare (left), suburban (center), and rural (right) neighborhoods (redrawn from Debertin & Goetz (2013) with shaded areas representing third places.
Approach and Learnings
Methods
We dove into research across environmental psychology, public health, and design to identify key design pathways for creating socially vibrant spaces. The evidence is clear: design choices like furniture arrangement, visibility between areas, and presence of shared green space dramatically impact whether and how people interact. The chapter seeks to bridge theory and practice, translating complex research into actionable design concepts that apply across diverse settings from healthcare facilities to college campuses.
Findings
Great social spaces are all about balance, they offer places to connect but also retreat, places that support planned gatherings but also spontaneous run-ins, and reflect both individual and community identity. We discuss practical design approaches that create "social affordances:" features that naturally invite interaction without forcing it. Think of the difference between a rigid row of chairs (social barrier) versus a flexible seating arrangement around a shared table (social affordance). The most successful spaces don't just remove obstacles to connection, but actively and gently encourage social interactions, which research shows is fundamental to our health and happiness.